Frank Malifrando: Keep ’em coming to Vallejo

The ATM was out of money by 2 p.m. at the Ferry Building, during the picturesque Mad Hatter’s Fourth of July Waterfront Festival. This gives you a good idea of the money spent at the happening. The Hatter Festival was sandwiched between the parade and grand fireworks celebration over Mare Island Straits on Vallejo’s waterfront green park. This has been the fourth year that the Mad Hatter has taken over the festival for Independence Day.

Taking a massive patch of land and magically transforming it into a mini-city where thousands of people had the best time of their day is worth the effort of a full year of organizing. Those efforts were not unnoticed by Dr. Teresa Kimnetz (alumni of Touro University), enjoying her second year at the event: “This is an incredible festival, so many families enjoying a multitude of happenings ... this must take an enormous amount of effort and skill to put something like this together. It definitely has a ringmaster at its helm!”

Years ago the affair was sponsored by Target and held behind the JFK Library, after the parade and in the early afternoon. Target pulled its funding almost 10 years ago and there’s been an empty void since — until the Hatter took it over and became its primary sponsor and organizer.

The Mad Hatter brings all its abilities and resources along with a comprehensive social media strategy that enabled the Hatter to reach thousands of people via a number of media platforms. Giant radiant kite displays were seen from afar as the backdrop of the celebration, there were two festive international food courts, an Artisan Craft Beer and Godfather Winery tasting court, with many thanks to Vallejo Music Theatre’s Lynn Combs, a craft beer aficionado and Vallejo trooper, and their volunteers who oversaw the Artisan Craft Beer and Wine Garden.

There were vibrant spirited cultural performances, and martial arts demonstrations plus ongoing live performances headed by Monica Moeckel and Club Strive. The popular Haute Dogs’ Maritime Dog Parade was led by the Solano Middle School Percussionist Band and well-loved Cat Mobile ending with an award ceremony hosted by our very own Mayor Bob Sampayan.

“The beautiful huge multicolored kites wowed me and my family,” said Dennis Saldajeno. “There were so many choices of things to discover and do or experience. It was my second time at the Mad Hatter’s July Fourth Waterfront Festival after moving here from San Francisco a year ago — what a wonderful day in Vallejo.”

This year we partnered with the Chamber’s Parade Chair Connie Howard, who extended the parade down Georgia Street to Mare Island Way, connecting the two events and inviting any of the parade floats to continue to the waterfront for one last showing before ending their day.

Entertaining thousands of people consistently throughout the day and into the evening requires a Mad Hatter’s vision of organized chaos and distractions where anyone can simply sit back and enjoy the experience as an observer.

“I am under no obligation to make sense to you,” said the Hatter. “All the best people are crazy.”

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We need more festivals as such to continue to bring people downtown and to the waterfront, showcasing Vallejo’s landscape and waterfront. Let’s continue to keep the thousands of people coming from all over the Bay Area to experience what we have been able to accomplish with our Mad Hatter Holiday Festivals and bring a quality-of-life experience that is so needed in the city and sought after by many living here.